“If I’m designing a room, I want to look at the building. If I’m designing a building, I want to look at the block.”
Ned Reifenstein is a thinker, a builder, and a problem-solver with a serious academic pedigree. After graduating from Yale and earning his MArch from MIT, he went on to receive a Masters in Urban Design from UC Berkeley. But he didn’t stop there—he delved into programming to create an application that predicts urban growth and models changes in density and development. In short, Ned doesn’t just know his stuff—he’s redefining it.
Through years of experience, he has realized that many problems are just recurring versions of the same challenge. When solutions aren’t obvious, he prompts his team to ask a different question. “You have to be an asker before you can be a solver,” he says, emphasizing the value of curiosity and reframing.
As an expert in urban design, he views every project as part of a larger, integrated urban system. He believes architecture plays a vital role in shaping a sustainable future, advocating for long-term thinking and efficient solutions that stretch across a 100-year horizon. “We may not be cooking the whole meal, but we can set the table,” he says, reflecting his belief in architecture’s power to prepare the way for systemic change.
With his blend of technical expertise, visionary thinking, and creative problem-solving, Ned is a force for innovation, setting the stage for more sustainable and thoughtful urban environments.